JOIN USThe Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways deserves applause for initiating action aimed at making things easier for people rushing to the aid of accident victims. Hitherto, such ‘Good Samaritans’ ended up paying a price for helping an accident victim. When they took a victim to hospital, they were not allowed to leave immediately and were often subjected to harassment by the police, even blamed for the accident. They were expected to show up in court repeatedly during the trial. Getting entangled in a court case in India is an ugly experience and fearing this, many eyewitnesses to accidents prefer to leave the victim lying on the road, rather than getting involved by rushing him to a hospital or informing the police. As a result, many accident victims lie on the roads for hours and lose their lives for want of immediate medical attention. In such circumstances, of the roughly five lakh road accidents reported annually in India, 1.5 lakh cases result in fatalities resulting in India having the highest death rate in road accidents in the world. At least 50 per cent of the fatalities can be averted if victims are rushed to a hospital within an hour of an accident. But studies show that 80 per cent of accident victims in India do not get swift medical attention as bystanders ignore them.
It is to change this that the government is acting to encourage more bystanders to come to the aid of accident victims. The ministry has issued a notification that a person who takes a victim to a hospital should not only be allowed to leave immediately, but also he should be “suitably rewarded or compensated.” And henceforth, it will not be mandatory for eyewitnesses to identify themselves when they call the police to inform them of the accident. This should encourage more people to step forward to help accident victims. There are norms of conduct for doctors as well. Doctors who refuse to provide treatment and care in an emergency road accident situation will be guilty of “professional misconduct” and subjected to “disciplinary action.”
The new guidelines protecting ‘Good Samaritans’ from harassment and hardship are welcome. They were long overdue. However, these are a stop-gap arrangement, an interim move to implement guidelines issued by the Supreme Court. The government must act swiftly to translate the guidelines into effective legislation. ‘Good Samaritan’ laws will be more effective than mere guidelines in saving lives in road accidents.